Chestnut trees

[Thunder Head]

This was a first for me,
In my ramblings saturday, i came across two chestnut tree stumps that had live shoots. Looks like they keep putting them out but they die when the get 1 - 2" in diameter. On one of them the shoots were all mashed down and broke. looks like a bear did it to me.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Nice! I see lots of chestnut shoots, but never any fruiting. Usually when I hit a spot with lots of chestnut shoots (high, dry ridges) I slow down. Usually good hunting.

Man what I'd give to bring them back.

Keep an eye on that tree, the chestnut foundation might want to know about it if it keeps on thriving...

 

[NCMTNHunter]

By the size of the burs the top one looks like a chinquapin.

 

[C.Killmaster]

I found a 6" diameter chestnut that was fruiting on Cohutta a number of years ago.

 

[Thunder Head]

By the size of the burs the top one looks like a chinquapin.

It may very well be. I have never seen either.

Leaves and husk look like the chestnuts a friend of mine has. The mast is much smaller though. Aprox 1" or so in diameter.

 

[ddd-shooter]

It may very well be. I have never seen either.

Leaves and husk look like the chestnuts a friend of mine has. The mast is much smaller though. Aprox 1" or so in diameter.

Yep, I thought chinquapin as well, but it's hard to tell from a pic, especially as Im no expert.
I've seen chinkapin down near settlement, but never up in the hills.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I found a 6" diameter chestnut that was fruiting on Cohutta a number of years ago.

Can't say I've found one bigger than about two inches. Head high is all I ever see.
I really hope usda approves the release of the engineered chestnut across the landscape full scale.
I'll volunteer to spend my free time planting!

 

[Doug B.]

Yep, definitely a chinquipin. They don't get as big as a chestnut tree. They also seem to have more nuts in a cluster than chestnuts do. They are very tasty if you can get them before the squirrels and bears do.

 

[NCHillbilly]

It may very well be. I have never seen either.

Leaves and husk look like the chestnuts a friend of mine has. The mast is much smaller though. Aprox 1" or so in diameter.

Yeah, that looks like chinquapins. An American chestnut burr is at least half the size of your fist.

 

[Thunder Head]

Can't say I've found one bigger than about two inches. Head high is all I ever see.

These had dead shoots that were just like you describe. Maybe a little taller.

NC,
From just a quick look the ones native to the US have smooth edges on the leaves. Not serrated. Is this a different type?

 

[ddd-shooter]

American Chinquapins are serrated. They're in the chestnut family. Castanea pumila. As opposed to castanea dentata (Chestnut)
You might be looking at the chinkapin oak

 

[Killer Kyle]

That'd most likely be a chinquapin if the burrs were that small. There's still a few of those around, and many of them produce mast. They look exactly like small chestnuts, and they can succumb to the blight too.
There's several of them growing up on the old Coleman River WMA I found a couple years ago, and some on Buck Shoals WMA.

 

[Resica]

I found a 6" diameter chestnut that was fruiting on Cohutta a number of years ago.

Have seen quite a few up here larger than 6.

 

[NCHillbilly]

These had dead shoots that were just like you describe. Maybe a little taller.

NC,
From just a quick look the ones native to the US have smooth edges on the leaves. Not serrated. Is this a different type?

All chestnuts and chinkapins that I know of have serrated leaves. American chestnut leaves look about like the Chinese chestnut leaves, except the Americans are longer and narrower. Heavily serrated.

 

[Thunder Head]

I didnt look good enough
If you type in " chinquapin tree" in google. It brings up the golden Chinquapin first. I also saw another west coast tree. Has smooth edges. Mostly

 

[NCHillbilly]

I didnt look good enough
If you type in " chinquapin tree" in google. It brings up the golden Chinquapin first. I also saw another west coast tree. Has smooth edges. Mostly

Allegheny chinquapin is the species we have here. I have a couple growing naturally in the edge of my backyard. They are tasty, btw.